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Restaurants In Birmingham 1960s

The first one I ever had was in the Heaven Bridge which was opposite the entrance to New St station.
That was in the early 60s.
 
i can remember a nepalese reastaurant about where you describe. i think nepal came into its name. If you came out of the Bill Ring bus station, turned left and went towards digbeth, i think it was the last business before you got to the church


Mike,

You are talking about Edgbaston Street, I thought Christopher was looking for a place on Digbeth. The restaurant you are thinking about was the Tibet I believe. Chinese food was not a food I ever ate or liked, which always made it difficult if eating out when we were courting as I'm a curry person if we are eating Continental and I've never come across a good Chinese curry. Nowadays we always eat English if we are dining out.
 
Maypolebaz - Could this Chinese Restaurant be the same one I am talking about in Station Street?

Judy
 
Jayell


That would be the Lieng Nam next door to Bocker & Bettridge School of Dancing and quite close to one of my old haunts The Crown.
 
Maypolebaz - Could this Chinese Restaurant be the same one I am talking about in Station Street?

Judy

I don't think so Judy, the Heaven bridge was in a new (then) concrete building. One of those ramped roads that came up from the Bullring area went past it.
 
Thank you Phil. Thanks for putting a name to this restaurant. It was my first experience of Chinese food. I know it was near The Tatler Cinema (Electric later). The name of Bocker & Bettridge dancing rings a bell with me. Think they were a well known dance school of the day but I never realised they were based in Station Street.

Judy
 
Wasn't the Heavens Gate by the rear entrance of the Bull Ring Centre on to Smallbrook Ringway near the Wandering Minstrel ?
 
Jayell


That would be the Lieng Nam next door to Bocker & Bettridge School of Dancing and quite close to one of my old haunts The Crown.

There was a Bocker and Bettridge dance school in Reservoir Road Selly Oak. Whoops wrong. Sorry. It was Benwell and Hogan.
 
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I'd have to include this one on the list simply because it was good, wholesome food. But don't get me wrong, I'lm not a health food fan as such, I just like good food. But at the same time very partial to a well cooked pie and chips as the next person. I just like tasty food.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=31970

And please don't forget the Danish Centre on the (horrendous) ramp in Stephenson Place. My mum often took me there, Open sandwiches on rye bread with delicious prawns, mayonnaise and salad. Followed by some funky pudding. I think she was trying to educate me in the delights of these continental dishes way back in the 60s. I still love to try out different foods, so do my kids. And the 60s was such a great time to experiment with these new things. Viv.


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Wasn't the Heavens Gate by the rear entrance of the Bull Ring Centre on to Smallbrook Ringway near the Wandering Minstrel ?

Your mention of the Wandering Minstrel rings a bell Phil, you might be right but I'm pretty sure it was the Heaven Bridge, (not Gate).
 
I also remember a lovely Greek restaurant in Station Street - Bambos.
I believe they moved to Paradise Street at some point.
 
Haven´t read right through, so don´t know if it´s been mentioned, but I remeber ban Italian restaurant called Ginos which was somewhere on Smallbrook Ringway.
Used to dread my friends wanting to go there as Italian food is not a favourite of mine. Much more a curry & Chinese girl.
 
Hi senor
If I recall there was belly dancers as well whilst having your meal of any type of Curry's and late sessions for entertainment
Best wishes astonian,,,,,,,,,
 
Hi senor
Do you recall the rendezvous restaurant on broad street oppersite at that time the one bingley hall and the hall of memory
And next to the Birmingham registry office it was open until six o'clock in the morning it was ran by a guy they called. Pick the Greek and brothers
Across the road was the old tow rope which also was an all nighter
And the only club was the rum runner in those days along with the pink elephant club Bromsgrove street and in those days brum was old with no road
Changes what or modernisation not even new street back or front brum was bleak and boring in those days
Few tells never started any other clubs in those days until years later best wishes astonian,,,,,,,
 
This photo which I think came from the Birmingham Mail is tagged La Dolce Vita 1970. Well its certainly not the place I knew on the Ringway. I have to admit that those Inca/Aztec decorations look familiar to me but I can't remember where from any idea's.
 

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Just read through a lot of this thread, lots of memories, I didn't spot a mention of the best Italian place in the 1960's, Da Luigi's which was in the Italian quarter,(by where the Millennium centre is now), later became Los Canarios, when Luigi moved out to Aston Cross. Never understood why!
Was the Firebird always in Carrs Lane? I always remembered it as in an alley-way that was parallel to Carrs Lane (towards New Meeting Street at the rear of the Church Centre.
What about the place at the top of New Street on the left just down from Victoria Square where they sold Fleur de Lys pies. Used to go there from Matthew Boulton Tech, when it was near to New Street Station. Sometimes went out to Lowsonford near Lapworth to the pub that supplied the pies.
 
DevonJim,


La Reserve photographed by Keith Berry, in 2006 it was then called the Miller & Carter I think it is still there today but in a much upgraded condition.
 

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Hi Maria. I had lunch at La Reserve, Sutton Park, on Monday 27th Dec 1965. Went with my fiancée, and my parents (how romantic is that!). I have noted in my diary that I had chicken, sprouts, but others had Sole Mornay. Had dancing afterwards and twisted. Caught 107 bus back into town. Very cold, with ice on roads, all day. Dave.
 
Hi Maria. I had lunch at La Reserve, Sutton Park, on Monday 27th Dec 1965. Went with my fiancée, and my parents (how romantic is that!). I have noted in my diary that I had chicken, sprouts, but others had Sole Mornay. Had dancing afterwards and twisted. Caught 107 bus back into town. Very cold, with ice on roads, all day. Dave.

I think it was there that dad said there was a sort of cabaret which involved girls throwing fake snowballs at the audience! This would have been in the evening, though, not at lunchtime.

maria
 
I had my 21st Birthday Party there, that's 54 years ago!!!!! That's when it was La Reserve, it was pretty up market in those days, it has changed hands and names many times over the years. Do not know what it is like now.
 
The Rum Runner was just up from the register office, on the left hand side, going from town, opposite the Toe Rope, before The Crown. And I remember the 60's, and I was there,
 
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